


Something spiteful

by thefaultinourdemonpox



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: F/M, Slow Burn, ish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-03-16 11:40:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13635552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefaultinourdemonpox/pseuds/thefaultinourdemonpox
Summary: There was something connecting Ben and Evie. Something that made both feel uneasy and content at the same time. Falling out of love with your girlfriend was never easy and falling for your best friend's boyfriend was always dreadful, as the both teenagers would soon find out.





	1. Something there

There was something about the way Evie moved that night, something about the blue skirts twirling around her twisting body, something about her smile so radiant and warm that he just couldn’t get out of his mind. It was there sitting at the back of his head whenever she entered the room. It was nudging his head to tilt in her direction whenever they spoke. Something that always managed to draw a smile on his face no matter how tired he was.   
And yet- yet he could never quiet put his finger on it. Ben was never able to identify, just what made his chest fill with warmth when he saw her. It was probably, because she was one of his biggest accomplishments, right? It had to be, because she had turned out so well. A villain kid as a royal councillor… It had to be because of that. Right?

Doubt nagged at his gut as he caught his eyes following the blue figure on the lawn from the sheer windows of his office once again. It didn’t feel right. Nothing of what he felt felt right. He wasn’t just proud of what he had achieved, wasn’t even only proud of what Evie had achieved. There was something more, something that perhaps his mind wasn’t quiet ready to accept yet. Something that made his insides jump in joy and at the same time churn in despair. And it was also something that was keeping him vividly from working. He couldn’t remember for how long he had been sitting at his desk looking through the same papers over and over again. The situation with Mal wasn’t helping either. 

He felt a small pang at his heart at the thought of his girlfriend. Ben had been hoping that after the cotillion everything had been worked out. They had sealed the deal with true love’s kiss. They have had that and that should have been enough, but- she kept slipping. It was like one moment he could feel her as close as possible and the next she was fading out of reach. It was- discouraging to say the least. They were supposed to have a happy ending; a true love and now Ben could barely recall the last time he had seen her.   
His hands drew over the parchment signing his name here and there. He didn’t need to reread them having gone through them all with Evie the evening before. She had proved to be very helpful with his duties, preparing the papers for him and leaving sticky notes everywhere to remind him of due dates and rest times. And she never let him on his own to deal with the never ending contracts Even now it was almost as if he could feel her at his side still as he opened yet another package of blue post its that reminded him to take a water break every once in a while. 

And judging by the smile that immediately entered his face he couldn’t really deny it: There was something; something he didn’t see before.  
And a part of him dreaded that he had caught onto it.


	2. Something noticed

There was a part in her that never quiet forgot the dream of getting a prince and living the fairytale happily ever after. The thought of it still made the small girl in her giggle and hope in anticipation. Doug was right of course. If her store kept flourishing as it did right now she’d be able to afford a caste all on her own in a few years, but it wasn’t quiet the same, was it? Buying one with her own money wasn’t the same as being whisked off of her feet by someone that loved her more than his own life and being carried off into the sunset. It wasn’t just the castle she had always wanted after all. Doug loved her, Evie knew that and she loved him too, or at least she thought she did.

He was kind and gentle and so utterly adorable whenever he was with her. Evie did not want to miss him in her life and yet-sometimes she watched Carlos and Jane who were so innocently happy together. Their glances were full of love and promises and something in Evie couldn’t help but wonder whether she looked the same way at Doug. “Evie?” Speaking of the devil she turned to find her boyfriend’s eyes on her. She wasn’t sure how long she had been spacing out staring nowhere “What is it?” her voice was wavering a little as she managed a smile on her face. “It’s nothing. You were just so- quiet I guess. Is something bothering you?” Evie quickly shook her head. Doug was great and she liked him. She couldn’t mess this up. Not again. He could be her prince charming. No, he _was_ her prince charming. She just had to stop listening to the voice of her mother inside her head. She didn’t need a prince to be happy. She definitely did not.

“No- no there is nothing. I guess I was just too focused on figuring out a way to make this dress work. I don’t want to disappoint Mal after all.” Her fingers were twitching as she wheedled the needle in her hand. Yet another dress for Mal- for yet another date with her King. A part of her felt envious of her best friend. She had gotten all Evie ever wanted; the perfect boyfriend, a castle, a prince- and she didn't even have to try.

Doug leaned down to press a swift kiss against her cheek and Evie tried not to flinch at the touch: “You will never disappoint her, E. You always find a way to make it work. He promised her with ease and Evie let herself believe it. She would find a way to make it work with him. She knew she would. She had to. She reached for his hand squeezing it tightly and as he smiled at her softly she was almost convinced that she would be able to love him as much as he did her.

But no matter how firm and truthful her resolve had been. It didn’t stop her face from falling whenever she noticed how longingly Ben stared at the picture of Mal on his desk whenever they worked late in the night and it didn’t stop her from imagining how things might have turned out if it had been her and not Mal the young prince had fallen for and it certainly didn’t stop her heart from beating whenever his hand-shake or touch on her shoulder lingered for longer than it was necessary, because in contrast to Ben Evie knew that there was no use in denying that there was something there and a part of her felt guilty that she had realised that.


	3. Something forbidden

 

_He could feel a hand cradling his face, fingers threading through his hair as a soft voice whispered stories long forgotten in his ear. The sun was warm on his face lighting up the world behind his closed eyes in a bright red. He tried turning away wishing to flee into the familiar darkness, but there was something in the voice of the girl that was keeping him from moving. Her words didn’t quiet reach his ears, but there was a certain lull behind it, a melody that was drawing him to sleep, like a siren’s voice in the dark of a storm. The danger of it lying just around the corner waiting for him to cross the line. Yet he couldn’t quiet daw himself from the voice, the tone so familiar and warm that he felt protected. He could almost see the girl in his mind, just by the nuance in his ears, could almost see the warm dark eyes, could almost feel the soft dark hair gliding through his fingers, could almost hear the soft blue shades rustle around her…_

“Ben!”- a voice ripped him out of the peaceful almost slumber he had just gone through and as he opened his eyes wearily he found himself locked onto the gaze of brown eyes that fixated him slightly annoyed: “Were you even listening?” Evie closed the report in front of her with a sigh still focused on the young prince in front of her. He was still too drowsy to do much besides looking at her surprised: “Uh-yes.  Absolutely- I totally agree. Consider it signed off.” He watched her with false confidence as a smirk spread out on the blue haired’s lips thinking his answer had been right. “I’ve just been telling you about the story of Janina’s father Ratcliff; there is nothing for you to sign or agree with.” Evie chuckled, but Ben could still see certain sense of annoyance lingering in her gaze: I’m sorry, I guess I- doze off a little.” Her face softened a little at those words while she leaned back dark curls falling over the back of her chair. “I didn’t mean to upset you.” He continued knowing that he had yet to really break through and get her on her good side again: “Please repeat the story. I promise I’ll listen this time.” He gifted her his best smile and she loosened her shoulders a little: “If you don’t I’ll be more than happy to bring you some apples during our next meeting. Maybe they’ll get you to do your work.” She teased a small chuckle escaping her lips and Ben narrowed his eyes at her in playful manner: “Be careful. That might be considered treason. And now- come on tell me the story.” Evie le a swift pout enter her face, but shook it off as Ben snipped a small piece of paper into her head: “Well- her dad is Ratcliff, knew him back on the isle. Not exactly a pleasant person to meet if you ask me. Awfully bushy hat, so old-school…” she clicked her tongue before forcing herself to continue and ignore the millions of fashion mistakes the English man committed: “Well- anyway- he sailed over to America hoping to find gold, together with John Smith, dashing man and a whole group of sailors. As fate would have it Ratcliff was a very greedy man and refused to believe that the natives didn’t have any gold and so he developed a grudge against them thinking they were hiding it. Smith on the other hand met Pocahontas, the daughter of the tribe chief and well- you know how the stories go: they fell in love with each other. But-“she paused a moment finger dangling in the air as if she was going to warn him: “She was already promised to another and long story short: Smith killed the other man by accident resulting in an almost war between the sailors and the natives, that Pocahontas prevented. Smith got shot though and so he had to return to England, so they had to separate for him to survive.” She stopped talking knowing that it was nothing more than a flat retelling. Evie had never had the talent to bring a story to live.  “And what do you know about the girl?”  Ben was rubbing his eyes tiredly, the skin already sore and red. ”Prissy little thing; believes to be English nobility-“The knowing smirk that spread on Ben’s face made Evie blush out of embarrassment: “I was a whole different story.” She stuck her tongue out at the king: “So, she’s a bit stuck up, but not really evil. I’d say she is a safe bet. She’ll love it here.”  He nodded softly pulling the paper towards him and looking through her file. “You know-“Evie trailed off lost in her thought. “I’ve always loved their story.” Ben looked at her gaze lingering on the bright lashes that fluttered up and down. “They had something. Pocahontas and Smith- they had something, but in the end it still didn’t quite work out.” Her gaze had something haunting as she observed the trees outside; the green reflected in her eyes: “Evie…” His voice was quiet unsure of what he had wanted to say. “Kinda gives you hope. That not every happily ever after needs to be a fairy tale.” He felt his heart squeeze together as she spoke. Her voice sounded so lost, so incredibly lost and wounded. Before he knew it he had already reached out his hand covering hers that seemed so incredibly tiny: “Evie-“ He repeated himself a little louder yet no less gentle.  It was almost like waking up from a dream, the way she turned her head so slowly, eyes showing him a world of melancholy. For a moment they just stayed like this, unmoving, unbroken-

Until Evie let out a giggle high and unusual as she slipped her hand out of from beneath his, heart pounding. “Well- and I guess forbidden romance always has its charm.” The laugh was hollow, shrill and not even nearly enough to hide the pain in her voice. “Evie, what’s wrong? Did something happen between you and Doug?” His gaze was still and warm vanquishing the small specks of hope that were crawling up to his throat. He shouldn’t be happy about his friend’s heartbreak. “What?” She seemed confused by the question, but not surprised. ”No-no. Everything’s fine between him and me. We are doing just fine-“ Ben knew what fine meant. Fine was crappy. “Do you want to talk about it?” he offered weakly although he could think of thousand things he would rather talk about than Evie’s boyfriend. She shook her head softly: “It’s nothing really. He’s great.” The look she gave him told Ben to drop it and he did, but as they kept talking he could feel his chest clench together at her airy voice and the way she trailed off. “So- do you think we have enough kids for another round? I’d like to send out the invitations as soon as possible.” Evie shook the dazed look off of her face as she reached for the paper on which Ben had just added Janina Ratcliffe’s name. “Let’s see…

_Janina Ratcliff             Uma_

_Harry Hook                 Gil_

_Dizzy Tremaine          Frank Facilier_

They seem like a handful group, so- keep it limited to them. Let’s ease Auradon into welcoming more vks.” There was excitement bubbling up in her as she thought of Dizzy finally coming over. They would have so much fun together and Dizzy would finally be able to live the life she deserved. Ben’s own face lifted as he saw the returned glimmer in Evie’s eyes glad to see her cheering up. “Good- we need to work on room arrangements and schedules then. We can be glad we already have the green light from the council of heroes. One less thing to worry about.” He heaved a sigh leaning back in his chair bones cracking. Evie laughed dryly. She could already feel the exhaustion of all the time spent preparing and fuzzing over the arrival of new kids. “You know- a part of me is glad that it’s going to be over soon, but then it’s just around the corner that we will need to plan for another round of kids.” “A king’s work never ends.” The words were light, almost like a joke, but Evie could see it; the small shrug of hesitation when he cracked a smile; the twitching fingers. “I guess mine doesn’t either then. I am the royal advisor after all.” Ben looked up at the girl catching the soft smirk and trusting eyes: “That you are.” “And as a royal Advisor I am now advising you to go to that couch you keep in your office and get some sleep while I find fairy Godmother and start planning the schedules! You look rotten. And I don’t mean that in a good way.” Some might have seen that as an insult, but Ben knew she only meant well and so he smiled and nodded while the princess of the isle stood up gathering her things: “Will do that.”

After the door had closed he dragged himself over to the couch barely bothering to take of his jacket before his eyes closed and he drifted off into sleep the fragrance of fresh apples following him.

He wasn’t quite sure how long he had napped, but once he woke up the curtains were closed and on his office desk stood a water bottle and a sandwich accompanied by a note reminding him that he was advised to eat it.

And if he could feel something fluttering in his gut, no one could blame it. Perhaps she was right. Forbidden feelings always managed to catch someone. Yet as he lay back down on the couch, fingers trailing of the curved lines of her words he couldn’t find it in him to care much about it. Those were thoughts for another day, for another time when he would have to face his responsibilities.


	4. Something wishful

Evie had fled the room as soon as possible. The door slammed into place behind her as she leaned against the wall the sound echoing in her ears like a gunshot. Her heart was pounding against her ribcage furiously and for a moment Evie wondered if it would jump out any given second. She needed to be more careful. Her tongue had almost let words slip that no one should have heard. Her cheeks were reddened, hand still feeling the warmth of his on hers. She couldn’t keep remembering the flutters in her gut. Couldn’t keep imagining the small electric shock it had given her. That needed to stop. All of it. She couldn’t keep thinking about Ben as if it mattered; as if they had a future. She had Dough and that was enough. It had to be enough for her- she wasn’t the one to get the prince. She wasn’t the one that would get the fairy tale ending. She was not that girl. _Take a deep breath… and forget. A deep breath… and forget._

Her feet led her across the floor on search of the fairy godmother. There was so much work to do and the princess could already feel the exhaustion dawning on her. She would give anything to take a break and just relax for a single moment, but she couldn’t bear the dark bags beneath Ben’s eyes and his fidgeting fingers. The king was on the edge of breaking and it crushed her to see him like this. Ben was the sun of Auradon, he wasn’t supposed to burn himself out in the process.

“Mel!” The familiar flash of violet blur vanished around the corner in front of Evie and it merely took a split second before she was hurrying down the corridor wishing to catch her. She hadn’t seen her best friend in a long time, both of them being incredibly busy, but Evie hadn’t quiet realised just how long ti had been until she saw the other girl and felt her heart pace faster in excitement. “Mal, wait for me.” Her voice was louder than usual and so it caught the other girl’s attention as she stopped to turn around and flick her head over her shoulder.  “E-“ her voice was soft as the blue haired girl came to a halt in front of her slightly out of breath: “How have you been? I haven’t seen you in- forever.” A short chuckle followed her words as Evie linked her arm under Mal’s. She could feel the smaller girl relax next to her as they continued walking: “Well- you know me. Everywhere and nowhere at the same time.” Evie nudged her side with her elbow eyes rolling: “Always the mysterious one, M, huh? I guess some things never change.” Although the statement was clearly meant as a joke Mal’s shoulders straightened as she echoed solemnly: “No- I guess they don’t.” At that brown eyes laid themselves on her, concerned. Sometimes Evie was unable to figure out what was going on in the head of the girl. Even despite all the years spent together Mal still liked to keep things to herself, too proud to admit that she needed help. _Or perhaps she just didn’t need Evie’s help_.

“Don’t look at me like that, Evie.” Mal narrowed her eyes at the girl and Evie immediately glanced the other way: “Am not looking at you.” She was quick to protest, but Mal interrupted her with a sigh: “Look- I am fine, okay? I am not running away again.” _But it’s not like you are really here either_. “You don’t have to handle me as if I were made out of porcelain. I am a dragon- not need to worry about a dragon.” Her narrowed glare was enough to erase the worried glace off of Evie’s face knowing that it would only lead Mal to explode if she kept fretting.

“Well- so you are good?” She ended up phrasing one last question in concern that the purple haired girl merely waved off: “I am always good. What about you?” “Oh you know how it is. Always busy- keeping the kids coming to Auradon, keeping the dresses neat and tidy.” To emphasize her point she straightened out the ruffles in her skirt making it fall more evenly. “How is the whole process coming along? I mean the kids- not the dresses. I know how that goes considering you keep throwing in my half of the room.” The jab at her was playful and managed to break the unease between them: “For starters I do not _throw_ them in your half. I carefully put them on hangers and store them in your half. And secondly- it’s going well. It’s bone breaking work, but we’ve got a list together now and I was actually on my way to Fairy Godmother hoping to work on their schedules.”

Mal seemed to be interested in the list, but uncomfortable with the topic, which caused Evie’s frown to return. Maybe she was missing Ben and Evie talking about it reminded her of how little time they could spend together at the moment. ”You know speaking of- Ben is fast asleep in his office. He seems to need some comfort. Maybe you could go to him later.” The arm linked in hers stiffened a little as the daughter of all Evil stayed quiet and stopped moving. As she turned to face her Mal seemed almost in pain at the thought: “I don’t think I’ll manage it today. Still got a meeting with Belle to work on my etiquette, but I’ll see if I can manage tomorrow.” A small pout formed on Evie’s lips after that, whishing that Mal would just confide in her: “Are you sure you are alright?” “I’m fine, E. Just a busy day.” “Mhm.” They fell both quiet as their footsteps echoed across the floor both unable to look into each other’s eyes.

“You can talk to me. You know that, right? No matter what happens. I’m here.” There was something hesitant about Evie’s voice, the sound quiet and uncertain as if she knew that she could feel her best friend slipping right out of her grip. “Of course do I know that. We are family. We’ll always be one.” The grip on her arm tightened again hand squeezing hers, before she untangled herself from from the other girl and vanished around the corner without a goodbye. Within a moment Evie found herself alone again unable to think about the uneasy feeling squeezing her heart together. She couldn’t help, but feel as if she was loosing a part of her life that would leave a hole larger than life unable to be filled ever again.

The talk with the fairy godmother was long and stressful. It took time and care to make up schedules which were less likely to cause trouble or mischief. On top of that there were not many kids in Dizzy’s age, which made everything only harder. She could feel her eyes starting to drop as soon as she left the women’s office and the hole in her gut grumbled causing her to wince. Yet, as soon as she had sat down in the cafeteria she couldn’t bring herself to swallow the sandwich. Not after all the pasta she had had at lunch. Instead she remembered Ben, up in his office still fast asleep and figured that he hadn’t eaten since breakfast either. Without thinking it through completely Evie decided to borrow the plate figuring that they could miss one. It was for the young king after all.

The room looked exactly as it had when she had left hours ago. The papers were still spread across the table in a mess, the curtains still hung wide open basking the room in a soft glow as the sun set the young kind lay with his eyes closed and seemingly dead to the world. Granting him a warm smile she placed the plate down on his desk catching a glimpse of an almost blank paper that hadn’t been there before. There were few written words in Ben’s familiar curvy letters placed on the white sheet:

_Dear Mal,_

_I miss you…_

After that Evie could only make out erased lines and crumpled paper, as if Ben had struggled to find the right words and the bluenette could almost imagine him sitting at his desk, hands tangled in his hair as he frowned features torn in a picture of utter despair.

The short note managed to make her heart ache for the boy. Mal was slipping away and he could feel it as well. She couldn’t quiet imagine how it must feel to lose your true love, because ate seemed to be against you. Striding over to the couch in the corner she kneeled down pushing some of his hair out of his forehead. Her touch lingered for a few moments against the pale, soft skin and she ran her hand across the dark shadows under his eyes face turning into a grimace of worry. Even asleep he didn’t seem to be able to rest.

“She will come by tomorrow, Ben. Don’t worry. And then you will talk and figure it out. And then you’ll be happy again and Mal will be too. We’ll all be friends then. Happy and uncomplicated and then everyone will be happy, because Mal has you and you have Mal. And Doug has me and I- I’ll be just fine like that. We’ll make it work. You have earned yourself your happily ever after. I won’t let anyone strip you of that.”

Ben didn’t respond; of course he didn’t, but as Evie glanced down at him, the light eyelashes glowing in the sunlight she felt her chest flare up with fondness wishing she could cherish this moment. He looked so innocent and Evie hadn’t seen much innocent in her life, least of all in herself.  He let out a soft noise signalling that he would soon wake up and Evie was ripped out of her trance knowing she couldn’t stand there forever. At that Evie quickly got up hurrying out of the room sparing one last look at the king she had grown to appreciate so much. He looked worn down and beaten up, but his shoulders were still braced with pride and strength, even captivated in his dreams.

As she walked along the floors that day she felt or once lonely in the lovely halls of Auradon as the walls were tinted bright orange by the setting sun looking like flames ready to devour the young girl.

She forced herself to not look back at the closed door. She needed to look forward; to find away to fix whatever was wrong between Ben and Mal. He was the sun, shining too brightly for his own good and Evie was only going to burn herself if she got any closer. The sun needed a dragon to not be lonely. Not a pretty face in the crowds admiring it.


	5. Something inbetween

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a filler chapter? Because I don't have the time to write the actual plot right now, but didn't want to push off posting even further

The days dragged on in a fuzzy haze of autumn leafs turning bright and the wind whizzing past windows making the castle sound haunted and empty. More often than not Ben found himself stuck at his desk schedules and ink his only company. Usually he liked his office, the big window, the warm brown colour of his furniture making the room seem strong and soft at the same time. He loved his office, he used to stay in there all the time admiring his father as he worked seemingly bold and just. Yet- he had never quiet realised, he guessed, how exhausted the former Kind had been. He had never quiet realised the strain making decisions and orders, had put on his father. Nowadays the glasses were like a cage to him taking away his freedom, forcing him to prioritise his work before his emotions. Mal still hadn’t reached out to him and all he was yearning for was to run after her and talk to her. He needed to sort out whatever had gone wrong between them. Maybe then he could start feeling light again.

But- he couldn’t. He had duties and responsibilities. Ben might have been a teenager and despairingly in love, but foremost he was a king now. And a king couldn’t run after his queen, if Mal even wanted to be that anymore, if _he_ even wanted her to be that after all that had happened. After all the lies and tears. There was a small part of Ben that was still mad at her. She had promised no more lies and yet all she had done to him those weeks was lying and scheming. And then she had just vanished without even trying to mend it leaving a Mal-shaped hole in his heart. Once she had returned changed she had no longer fit into the hole she had created leaving it permanently open and bleeding.

The young king had barely noticed that his hands were pressed up against the glass window, the cold material barely seeming to exist. Outside the sun was shining brightly, hiding the harsh colds of the changing season and the last days of autumn fading away. Ben tore his gaze away from the view forcefully reaching for his jacket. He needed to get some sun and fresh air. Maybe that would help clear his mind.

It was refreshing leaving his office and just bolting outside. In a spontaneous bout of energy he had decided to go running needing to stretch his leg after the many late nights rolled up in his chair. Dressed in his sport clothes he walked outside for once not paying any attention to the passing students. Yet-they knew better anyway. No one wanted to talk to Ben like this, eyes clouded by repressed anger and frustration. It was in those times that the usually so gentle boy truly resembled the beast within his father.

As the cold wind bit at Ben’s cheek, turning them red and pale at the same time he couldn’t help, but revel at the stretch of his muscle glad to get at least something in his life to work properly and how it was supposed to. He welcomed the familiar ache; the burning sensation it left when he pushed against the ground; step after step; breath after breath. He welcomed the slightly dizzy feeling that the dawning exhaustion brought along with it. It made the world seem simpler, the colours more clear and his mind more focused.

There weren’t many days left until the kids of the villains would arrive and there was still so much to do. The schedules, at last were completely figured out, but the dorming situation was still out in the open and unsure, the preparation of the Aurodan children was still lacking and on top of that Evie had pleaded with him to install a mentor system that wouldn’t leave the kids unattended and all on their own. While it was a brilliant idea it woke new questions and problems.

Evie, thank the fairies for the girl, had offered up the core four as possible mentors and had actually been able to persuade them(although Ben suspected that some heavy bribing had been involved). Jane and Lonnie on the other hand had volunteered on their own as soon as they had found out about the project. Looking back on it, Ben supposed it had only been natural. The two were the most accustomed to the villain kids and more than willing to help them out in any situation. Yet even though the people had been found pairing them up had proven to be even more complicated. Ben’s initial thought had been to pair up Mal and Uma believing that his girlfriend would be the most capable of keeping Uma in check, but Evie had quickly assured that between the two of them no peace would come up for a long time. The same went for Harry and Jay. There was too much pent-up tension.

Once Ben had brought up the idea of simply switching them as partners Evie had laughed at him so carefree that he had barely been able to get the sound of it out of his mind these past days. It was often that he had hear Evie laugh, let alone that uncontrolled. A part of him wanted to treasure that moment forever. The only decision concerning that matter that had been easy was pairing up Jane with Dizzy. While Evie originally had wanted to take up that spot she had easily understood Ben’s fear of sweet, gentle Jane being overrun by any of the other newcomers. Due to the lack of better options they had ended up pairing Jay with Uma and Carlos with Fred, while Lonnie was supposed to care for Janina. 

That had only left Evie and Mal on one hand and Harry and Gil on the other. Evie had reluctantly agreed to partner up with Harry as Ben had believed that the pirate and Mal together would lead to too many disagreements and explosive potential. Yet something about her reaction made Ben himself feel uneasy about the decision. There had been something about the way she had avoided his eyes, when she had written down the names in her elegant handwriting the curves looking just a tiny by shaky. Despite the obvious unease she was feeling Ben couldn’t quiet put his finger on why exactly. The only explanation he could come up with was that she had to be afraid of the pirate. Ben honestly couldn’t blame her. He had tried assuring he that nothing would ever happen to her in Auradon; not when he was with her, but the princess had merely shook her head explaining that it had nothing to with that. There had been so much sadness in her eyes that Ben hadn’t dared to dig any further although his nerves were tingling and filled with curiosity about their connection.

But now was not the time to think about Evie and Harry Hook. Not when he could feel his hands turn numb and his leg move slower with each step. A glance to his watch told him that he had almost been out for an hour. His pulse was racing and for a moment Ben couldn’t remember the last time he had ever felt so light. The exercise had brought him a short moment of solitude, a small beacon of hope that things would become easier over time. Ben took a deep breath scanning his surroundings. Without even knowing it he had wandered off into the forest. The light trickled through the leafs, basking the scene in dim light. He had never been able to feel afraid in the woods. When Ben had been younger Adam had taken him out riding almost every weekend teaching him about animals and plants. Now as well he basked in the serenity of the atmosphere and was tempted to just lie down for a moment, before he saw a flash of violet and blue within the yellow and red of the trees.

After a split second of hesitation he followed the colours quickly hoping to catch up to them. The king moved swiftly and quietly through the area, pushing his way through the branches and over the roots until he could hear hushed voices:”Mal, come on. You’ve got to talk to me.” Evie’s voice sounded controlled, but there was a ting of desperation covered beneath her false steadiness. “I am talking to you!” His girlfriend called back which merely caused Evie to snap: “But not about things that matter.” Ben couldn’t be absolutely sure, but he could have sworn he had seen tears glisten in her eyes as she turned pretending to fix her make-up. “There is nothing to talk about.” Contrary to Evie Mal didn’t even bother to hide her annoyance, thick layers of it covered her words turning them into poison and malice.

Ben had wanted to step into the conversation almost immediately but there had been something holding him back and it wasn’t until Evie had actually noticed him that he fully stepped out of the trees. “Ben-“she gasped out colours draining from her face. It was an exaggerated reaction if you were to ask him, it wasn’t as if he wasn’t aware of the problems Mal had after all. “Ladies-“he offered a quick bow hoping to ease up the situation. Instead he only got Mal almost flinching away from his presence and Evie standing completely frozen on the spot. “Well… what are you doing here?” He raised an eyebrow merely wanting to start a conversation.

It seemed to be those words that broke Evie out of her trance: “Just taking a walk, although looking at the time I don’t think I should be doing anything out here at all. I still need to meet Doug for a business meeting.” Ben barely had time to register the words before the blue haired girl had already bolted away vanishing into the darkness. He refrained the urge to remind her that she shouldn’t be alone so late at night. Evie could handle herself, the logical part of his brain was trying to tell her and yet- the other one wanted to do nothing more than to yell after her, remembering how frail she would look sometimes perched against his desk. He certainly didn’t _want_ her out alone in the dark, but this was Auradon after all- what’s the worst that could happen? Turning back to Mal, he realized that he had a more pressing matter at the moment.


	6. Something breaking

Evie Grimhilde was a teen, who was definitely not developing a crush on her best friend’s boyfriend. She was certainly not a teen, who would do such a thing, even if said boyfriend seemed to be an angel sent to the earth to spread love and kindness. She was absolutely not a teen who is heartbroken and falling. Or at least that what she was trying to tell herself. However she was a teen, who could see two of her very close friends suffering. She was a teen who was sickenly in love with the idea of true love. Most of all though she was a girl with a plan:

Operation Bal-

As long as they would be able to find their way back to each other Evie could be happy as well. There was no greater joy than seeing your friends happy, or at least that was what he had convinced herself of. So it was only logical that for her to be happy Mal and Ben needed to be happy, right?

For the past days she had been trying to coax her friend into fixing things with ben, but it was like talking sense into a brick wall. The thought that Mal wasn’t even realizing what life she was on the edge of losing saddened and infuriated Evie at the same time. Everytime Mal would drift of during their conversations she almost wanted to slap some sense into her as if that could force her to appreciate it all.

Today had proven to be no different. She had caught a hold of Mal’s arm after her history of magical beings class and lured her into the forest under false allusions of problems with Doug. Truth to be told she couldn’t quiet remember the last time she had seen the boy, but she couldn’t quiet muster up the strength to feel saddened by that. They say that absence makes the heart fonder after all…

And yet- judging by the hint of annoyance Mal had let out as soon as Evie had grabbed her she had already guessed what today’s  meeting would be about. “Evie, really I do not have the time for that.” Mal’s voice echoed off along the trees that grew tall around them and it sent shivers down her spine. “Well- it seems like you barely have time to do anything lately and yet- _I_ never know what it is you are so busy doing.” She narrowed her eyes at her gript tightening as the look in Mal’s eyes turned into one of a fleeing prey. “Evie I don’t want to talk about that and you know it.” The snappish tone made Evie take a step back eyes darting to the floor hurt. She knew their relationship had been strained over the last week, but Mal had never reacted like that. Not with her.

“Bummer- you will have to eventually.” Evie snapped back not quite sure where she found the spite in her voice. “You will need to, because you can’t just keep things bottled up.” “I am not!” Mal protested voice quickly raising. “You said that the last time as well and look at how well that turned out!” The words hung in the air, tension dripping and at the raw pain in Mal’s eyes Evie was tempted to take them back saying that she didn’t mean it like that, but that would have been a lie and both of them knew it. If there ever were words Evie had meant with all her heart it were those just spoken.  Within seconds Mal was ripping her arms away from Evie’s grip walls building up again: “You don’t get to belittle me because of my reaction to being overwhelmed.” “I am not belittling you!” Evie’s voice was shaken surprised at the accusation. “I’m telling you that you fucked up and that you better learn from that mistake.” A faint voice haunted Evie’s ears, spilling words into her mind. Princesses did not speak like that. Princesses did not curse, princesses did not swear. Her words were always sweet, chosen with care and hesitance, the way a leaf might fall from a tree. Truth to be told Evie couldn’t remember the last time she had spoken to Mal with such sharp words. Probably never and the glare Mal shot her reminded her why.

Evie had seemed to forget just what fire was burning within Mal’s vein, what power she was hiding. She had almost forgotten that she was the daughter of all Evil and that she was raised to follow her mother’s footsteps. For a brief second Evie feared mal would lash out, her hand raised palms spread wide and she flinched knowing that pose too well. She was used to strikes, fingers against her cheeks, but still- Evie would have never seen her best friend in it. Time seemed frozen as their eyes met unveiling so many unsaid words and feeling. Unveiling a world of pain and guilt and restricted memories. That moment crumbled in pieces after a split moment in which Mal’s anger crumpled until it rose again yet her hand lowered slowly: “It’s none of your business, Genevieve.” The name stung more than the slap Evie had expected. No one called her Genevieve. No one but her mother and that was a presence she was willing to do everything to forget.

“Yes it is.” Evie kept insisting although her gut was telling her to flee instantly. “It’s my business, because I want two of my best friends to be happy.” Her own happiness depended on it, because that was all she was going to get. That was all she deserved after breaking so many hearts. To see true love outlived, while never being meant to experience it herself. “If you want to see me happy then keep your nose out of my business.” “I can’t just do nothing when _I_ see how Ben is hurting over and over again. While you are so absorbed in your own misery that you don’t even realise the consequences of your actions. I mean- leave Jay, Carlos and me out of the picture if you’d like. Ignore how bad you make us feel by letting us worry about you whenever you disappear. Do you even know how much you are hurting him by vanishing just like that? Without a single word? He went to the isle for you and you don’t even give a damn.” Evie wanted to yell at Mal, force her to open her eyes to hat exactly she was losing, to make her appreciate it and be the thankful, but her voice barely rose over a whisper too exhausted by caring too much.  “I don’t want to see you ruin everything you’ve gotten. I don’t want to see you throw it all away. I don’t want to see you give up true love.” _When it was all that Evie had ever wished for._ “Shut up Evie! I do not- and I am saying this for the last time, I do not want to talk about it nor will I!” Mal’s reaction was fierce and poisonous, but it didn’t succeed in making Evie back off. Not this time.  She caught her gaze again with her own as worlds spilled out from her throat while their eyes had a completely different conversation. “Mal, come on! You have got to talk to me!” _if you keep quiet it’ll destroy you_. “I am talking to you!” _Then let it._ “But not about what matters!” _Please let me help you_. “There is nothing to talk about.” _You can’t._

The words seemed final at last and Evie could feel tears spring into her eyes. This was way too final, as if she had already lost Mal before she had truly started searching. The blue haired girl made a move, mouth open as if to say something else, but the crack of a branch got her attention while her eyes shot up looking into the startled ones of ben. His name slipped from her lips before she could stop herself and from then on the events happened in a haze. His voice seemed blurry to her and she wasn’t quite sure what she had said, but there had been words spilling out of her throat, heart pounding against her ribcage trying to flee.

Evie couldn’t stand Ben’s gaze that kept flickering to Mal, the subtle longing, the hands fixed at his side that twitched every few seconds as if he could barely stop himself from reaching out to the petite girl. The blood rushing through her veins made it hard to concentrate as she bubbled out an excuse that would allowed her to feel. And she did just that turning on her heels, breaking through the trees not caring for the thorns and edges that scratched at her skin.

It wasn’t until she could see the lights and towers of the castle that she allowed herself to stop. Wobbly knees barely keeping up Evie chocked up a sob. This was good, now the two of them would have time to talk. This was good! She had to keep rewinding the words in her head turning it into a mantra that followed her like a shadow as she kept walking to the lights twinkling in the distance. The whole time she ignored the way her heart clenched together and dropped somewhere she wasn’t able to retrieve it from at the moment.


	7. Something crashing

Ben didn’t know how long he had been staring at Mal now. The thought of Evie had been pushed to the back of his mind overthrown by Mal’s gaze that he couldn’t quiet interpretate.

The silence lay heavily like a layer of wool over them and Ben was afraid to say a word, too high the risk that the thin thread that still connected them would snap. She looked so fragile standing in the dim light of the afternoon sun. “Well- are you going to say something?” Her voice was soft although the worked up temper from her conversation before was still more than visible in the way her shoulders heaved up and down slightly and her fingers twitched clinging heavily to the hem of her shirt. “Mal…” At first he didn’t seem to be able to mutter anything out but her name too overwhelmed with her presence. It was too much to bear finally having her so close yet seemingly farther than she had been before. His whole body felt as if he were on fire merely by looking at the girl, a sight he had almost forgotten to be used to. Truth to be told he couldn’t remember clearly the last time he had seen her. “That would be me.” There was a new tone to her voice, one that he hadn’t heard before, one that he could fully understand- to an unknown bystander it might have sounded almost pleading, but Ben knew better. Mal never pleaded- especially not with him.

“What are you doing here?” It was the only thing he was capable of asking, his mind too fuzzy to properly comprehend anything, and it wasn’t until the words had rolled of his tongue that he realised they had been burning into his heart for weeks now. “Taking a forced walk in the woods.” He took a step back at her curt response unsure of what she was actually saying. Her words seemed to be torn layers of spite and pain covering each other trying to veil how she really felt.

“Where have you been? I haven’t seen you in weeks?” His whole body was yearning to touch her, to pull her into his arms, but his heart was pounding so violently against his chest as if he was afraid of her. As if he was better of fleeing.  There was this nagging feeling in his gut that told him that if he were to touch her now he would combust immediately into a myriad of tiny pieces and there would be nothing left for him to pick up. “Everywhere- roaming around the city- visiting beaches.” She started distancing herself as well and something in Ben dropped at the metre between them that seemed endless. Something in him broke at the way she shied away from him, eyes darting over the ground. At the same time though he could barely wrangle a short snort of laughter out of his lung, Mal’s reaction almost ridiculous to his ears. It made a part of him wonder why he even bothered anymore if she wasn’t even trying to be honest with him.

“Why weren’t you _with_ me?” Even he could hear his own pain in his voice, the raw sorrow he couldn’t bother to hide anymore. They needed to talk and if he held back anything now they would only be going in circles. She needed to know what she was doing to him. How she was breaking him in every possible way.

“I’ve been there- you were just so busy and-“ “Stop making excuses!” Ben interrupted Mal ‘s feeble attempt at apologizing voice having more force than he had intended to. He didn’t need to hear any more words unless they were the truth. He couldn’t bear any more lies. “I’m not!” Mal was quick to protest, but one look into his tired eyes sent her quiet, eyes glancing to the floor almost ashamed. “Mal-“ he reached out at last palms cradling her shoulders and he tried to forget the way his skin seemed to itch at the touch. She was his girlfriend, his brain told him, she was his girlfriend and he loved her. He had touched her thousands of times before. There was nothing wrong about this and yet- it was like every fiber of his body was yelling at him to let go.

It was just the way she looked at him, he reassured himself, the insecurity nawging  at her from the insides that made it seem so wrong. His Mal wasn’t insecure, never had been, never would be. Yet- it didn’t stop her from feeling all sorts of wrong in his arms, the pieces of a puzzle that used to fit so well now broken off making edgy bones stand out in the wrong places and her hands clammy and shaking as she tried to hold onto him. “What is happening to us?” Even Ben was surprised at the resignation in his words, the quiet hopelessness that seemed to fill both of their body with dread. He swore he had seen Mal flinch at it: “I don’t know, Ben, I don’t know…” her shoulders sagged and that was all it took for him to pull her further into his arms and hold onto her tightly.

Looking back on it, he thought, this might have been the point where his life started to crash down around him, because no matter how used he was to the feeling of her in his arms he couldn’t find it in himself to let his heart skip a beat as it used to. Instead he could only close his eyes as a deep sadness started to spread in his gut and judging by the way Mal’s grip on him tightened she could feel it too. Perhaps this was the moment the magic did cease to exist. Perhaps this was the moment he should have let go. But he didn’t. He couldn’t.

“We can fix this…” he tried to promise, but he couldn’t even deceive his own ears. The purple haired girl stayed quiet, but he could feel the short puff of intakes of air she took against his shirt and the wind rustled through the leaves as one question heavily lingered in the air: Was there even anything left to fix?

There had to be. Mal was the lady he had chosen to be with for life. He had to make this work. A king had to make this work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not quiet satisfied with that one


	8. Something in the dark

The next time Ben saw Evie he hadn’t been prepared for it. Roaming the halls of Auradon mere hours after his conversation with Mal he found himself more confused than ever before. If he could just concentrate enough he could almost still feel her touch. They hadn’t talked much after Evie had left. All he could remember was clinging onto each other as if their live depended on it unsure of what their future might bring for them. His heart still felt heavy, seemingly clenching together every few moments just to torture him. His mind was tired, too many possibilities of what could happen running through his head showing him visions of futures he shouldn’t even begin to fathom. And yet- yet his body was restless, eyelids dropping, shoulders sagging.

He had tried to get some rest, but even surrounded by the comfort of his pillows and silk sheets, everything that screamed home, Ben had kept trashing around sleep evading him altogether. Bare footsteps faintly echoing across the stone halls he wasn’t sure where exactly he had meant to go. Perhaps he hadn’t even had a destination in mind. The only thing Ben had on his mind when he had fled the room was to get away, but for the moment it was enough to know he was going somewhere. That he had a purpose.  The lights in the castle were all turned off, curfew long having started, but it was well enough for him. It was calming to walk in the dark, to let his eyes completely rest as he trusted his feet to know the way for him. He felt calmer in the open halls than he did in his own room-even with the looming danger of being caught. His fingers trailed over the wall, texture rough beneath his skin pausing to glance at portraits and landscapes of times long forgotten, stories of proud kings and queens that had come before him, stories of the footsteps he would have to follow in.

The erie light of torches forced flickering shadows over his face lulling him into a false sense of security. It should feel intimidating, half lit looming halls that let every single sound echo off of their walls, but this was his home. He had climbed over those walls as a child, bruising knees and elbows, he had been coddled by his mother in corners giggling and flushed as she found him after a round of hide and seek, he had listened to his father’s voice in one of the windows telling him words of poets and travellers. How could he ever be scared in those halls? How could he ever be scared in his own home?

Pausing he found himself captivated by the own hazel of his eyes, the portrait draw prior to his coronation, towering over him like a giant. He could remember the hours sitting motionlessly vaguely. It was almost ridiculous how long it had been since then, back even before Mal, Jay, Carlos and Evie had arrived. A sour chuckle escaped his throat; how naïve he had been to believe he could save those kids from the isle without any problems. What a fool he had been…

“But we are getting there.” It was like he was promising it himself: “We are coming closer and closer to fixing it… Babysteps, but we are getting there. Ben wasn’t sure what he had expected to happen as he stared at his picture longingly. There was something in the rock of his smile and the twinkle in his eyes that spoke of hope and excitement. He wasn’t sure how much of that was left in him anymore. Yet- perhaps a gust of wind that would tell him that things would be okay, maybe a burden to be lifted from his shoulders, but nothing did.

His airways felt just as restricted, his head just as heavy as it had before. Words of his father spoken long ago echoed in his mind like a mantra he could never forget: “A king’s duty never ends. A king’s life are his duties.” Ben had never expected these words to become as relevant as they were now. He doubted he would ever get to relax again. Almost ready to give into his exhaustion he was surprised to hear the soft hum that floated through the air. Not having expected anyone else out of their beds this late at night he followed it almost in a trance. The closer he got the clearer he could hear the soft voices muffled into the hum: “She will come around eventually, E.” The humming stopped and so did Ben once he realised that it were Carlos and Evie. “I don’t know Carlos. Lately… she just seems so absent, you know? I don’t- I just- I really miss her. I miss my best friend.” Bens own heart fluttered in anxiety at the pain in her voice. He had never stopped to think that Mal maybe wasn’t just pulling away from him, but from everyone else as well. He had been so absorbed in his own problems he had never even considered that he wasn’t the only one suffering.  How selfish he had been.

“We’ve come so far, Evie. She just needs a little more time to adjust.” If Ben hadn’t known him any better he would have thought that Carlos was bored by the topic, yet he figured that it was only meant to cover up the insecurities he could feel about his words as well. “She had had so much time Carlos. We’ve given her enough space to adjust to Auradon. I don’t know what she wants anymore. She has got everything she- we had ever envisioned all of our life. Everything in Auradon is so much more than we could have ever wished for. It’s safe and secure and-loving-“ Ben had arrived at last at the source of the voices; a small room, but cosy with a fire crackling gently in the pit. He wasn’t sure why the two had chosen exactly that room to hang out in, but his heart was actually filling with pride at Evie’s words. This was everything he had wanted when he had declared his wish, to give the innocent children the chance of a new start and he was glad that at least with Evie it had worked.

As the two kept talking Ben moved to lean against the doorframe and observe the situation. Carlos was lounging upside down on one of the armchairs; one hand stretched out curling into dude’s fur. Evie was sitting in a similar chair right next to him one of his jacket thrown over her knees as she stitched it back together. “You know how Mal is, Evie. She will come around eventually. And if not we will just have to make her.” The younger boy’s voice was soothing for obvious reasons as Carlos’ eyes glanced to Evie, eyes full of worry. “But still-“ he could basically see the pout on her face even though she was sitting with her back t him, it was enough to make him chuckle softly although she didn’t hear him she was too infatuated with her work and thoughts: “It’s breaking her Carlos. And when she is breaking she starts lashing out, hurting everyone around her, hurting us, hurting Ben he- I-  see how much she is hurting him and- it’s breaking my heart.” Ben couldn’t believe the empathy he could hear in her voice, but it made his blood rush through his veins a little and turn his cheeks warmer within moments.

“Evie, about Ben, I’ve wanted to ask you for quiet some time now…”  But Ben never found out what Carlos wanted to say or in that moment he sat up and looked straight into Ben’s eyes. “Ben-“ he exclaimed rather surprised causing Evie to shoot around red lips forming into a small o-shape.  “What are you still doing here so late?” Ben’s voice was warm glad to see two of his friends at a time like this when he himself couldn’t find the right space to rest. “Dude and I were playing outside when a branch got caught in my sleeve and ripped a hole into it. Evie here is fixing it right now.” The younger boy threw Evie a brilliant smile to which she answered with a slightly embarrassed chuckle: “It’s nothing big, Carlos, and I should be finished in a bit.” “No really it’s super great that you always do this.” Carlos shook his head softly: “You know very well none of us would be able to do this.” “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” She smirked slightly leaning forward a little as Carlos jumped up to press a kiss to her cheek: “I’ve got to run though. Jay still wants to play a few rounds of the new game  he just got and if I am any later he will behead me!” like a flash he was gone from the room barely calling out a: “Good night, Ben.” Before he rounded a corner completely out of sight leaving Ben and Evie alone in the room.


	9. Something kind

Chapter 9:

“Well- he certainly still has a good amount of energy for this late hour.” Ben laughed although he didn’t yet move away from the doorframe stuck to it as if something was pulling him away from the blue haired girl. Ben laughed although he didn’t yet move away from the doorframe. Evie smiled back looking up temporarily from her work: “Sometimes I do believe he runs on energy drinks and sugar.” An eyebrow of hers rose questionly. She had certainly not forgotten the encounter they have had that day either: “What are you still doing up, Ben? It’s almost midnight.” There was a certain worry in her eyes to which he just shook his head: “Sleep doesn’t come easily the past days. I’m too riled up to really rest.” He explained softly and the small empathic glance she granted him was enough to make him move into the room. A little awkwardly he sat down on the sofa opposite to her so that he could look directly at her. “We don’t have much time left.” Ben admitted quickly trying to distract her from the topic of Mal she was clearly imagining. It was unnecessary for him to say that he did not want to talk about it. The atmosphere was heavier than he was used to with Evie. It felt like there were too many words left unsaid, too many thoughts he couldn’t talk to her about. “Three more days until the others arrive. That’s enough to tie up all the loose end.” She assured him and the security she threw off in vibes helped him to believe it. “What is left to do anyway? We’ve got the schedules down, I sent the sleeping arrangements to the Fairy godmother earlier today and I set  meeting with the students of Auradon prep or tomorrow so we can prep them…” Evie trailed off slightly while Ben could feel his eyes widen: “You did all that?” one of her hands reached up to rub the back of her head sheepily focusing on not looking him in the eye: “I saw how much you had on your plate and I figured I had some time left… I hope that’s okay.” Her voice raised a little as if she was genuinely scared to have done something wrong and he could see the faint flicker of fear run over her face making him hurry to shake his head: “That is perfectly fine- no! More than that! Thank you so much.” He smiled at her brightly leaning back: “Maybe you should just take over all my duties.” He joked eliciting a small giggle from her: “I don’t know. I think the crown would be a little too big for my head. I’m afraid it would slip.” He shook his head: “We can have it refitted. And you would probably look better in my suits than I do anyway.” Evie laughed genuinely and Ben could have melted at the sound so soft and clear: “No objections there.” For a moment Ben couldn’t help but just stare at Evie as she went back to her work stitching peacefully. It was soothing in a weird way. The comfortable silence that had settled between them helped calm his mind and he was unable to avert his eyes from the sight. He leaned back in his seat stretching and letting his neck relax. Nowadays he could feel a constant pressure on his head, the crown he had to wear more often than he’d like to, weighing him down. 

“So, you think we’ve got it all covered?” Evie kept fidgeting with her fingers obviously nervous. He couldn’t be sure why exactly Evie was so riled up about the arrival of the new kids. He figured she would have friends back on the isle, although considering who it was that was coming he guessed it wasn’t all that odd for her to be stressed. Almost out of instinct he reached out for her hand covering it with his: “We do. You have done an amazing job. “ He promised, but apparently it wasn’t enough to calm her. Instead the touch only managed to make all the blood rush to her face skin burning brightly.  “I just hope that it will be enough. They can be- so unpredictable.” A heavy sigh shook through her body and Ben nudged her side:  “We’ll manage them. Together.” The way he said these words, so full of fondness and reassuring helped Evie more than she could explain in words. It was hard to make herself remember while their gazes interlocked that all of this was just friendly talking and even harder to remind herself that that was the way it was supposed to be.  A pool of new anxiety forming at the depth of her gut she pulled back her hand slipping out of his grip.

For  a moment Ben remained in that position leaning forward a boyish smirk playing on his features and paired with the cosy heat of the fire place burning Evie wished she could photograph the moment and keep it forever if only to preserve the way he looked at her in this very moment. Almost unashamed she mustered him intensely the atmosphere feeling as innocent as it was dangerous. By the way he stared right back at her as if challenging the young princess Evie couldn’t help but think that he wasn’t minding it all that much either. Yet the thought of what her mind was trying to convince her of in this very moment and the threat of Harry arriving on Auradon was still making her skin crawl and hands turn cold. Not even the atmosphere that all but screamed safety at her were able to make her forget the feeling of dread. Like a gust of icy wind that feeling took over her body, face falling and posture stiffen. All that did not go by unnoticed by Ben, who was unable to tear his eyes away from the girl in front of him. As he frowned Evie thought for a split moment that his face was too pretty for that, features too gentle to look as worried as he did: “What else is wrong, E?” The nickname rolled off his tongue so smoothly, he must have picked it up from Mal, but somehow- it seemed to hold a completely different meaning when it was his voice that voiced it out loud.

“I- it’s nothing really.” He did not have to hear about her stupid problems, his shoulders were already burdened enough by the weight of a kingdom to rule. “Evie, seriously- what is bothering you?” She struggled to make eye contact opting to study the pattern on the sofa pillows instead, but Ben kept pushing: “is it Harry? Are you afraid that he is going to hurt you? Because I can assure you-“ “It’s not that. Harry is- complicated, but not necessarily harmful.” She interrupted him quickly, before he could get the wrong ideas. “Not to me at least. It’s just-we have some history. Romantic history.” Evie specified upon seeing his confused facial features.” it ended kind of abrupt and now-“ “Now you are afraid that he is going to cause trouble between you and Doug.” Once again Ben was quick to jump to a conclusion, but he looked so delighted at apparently having figured out the cause of her troubles that she didn’t dare to contradict him. It was not that she was worried about the trouble harry would cause. She was worried about the chaos in herself he would only add to.

“he has always been so temperamental and after all that happened with Uma- I just hope that everything goes as smoothly as we  have planned.” He was still sitting a tad too close for Evie’s liking, but the young king barely seemed to be fazed and so Evie tried to handle the situation as normal as possible. “Things were not- pretty when I left and honestly? I don’t blame him. He must have felt like I abandoned him and in a way- I did. I was so focused on how great my life was going, I never took the moment to look back on what I left behind.” It felt oddly comforting to finally talk to somebody about it. Up until now Harry had been her own well-kept secret, memories stashed deeply in her heart and buried beneath as much debris and heartbreak it had took to forget him.

“You could have told me, Evie. We could have thought of another way, we could have thought of something.” She knew what he was about to propose before he even said it: “I do not mean that we could have kept him on the island, but- maybe we could have waited another round or organised a transfer program all over Auradon-“ To stop him Evie brought her hand up in a curt motion knowing that this offer was absolutely out of character for him and while it made her heart warm to know that he would do it for her she could see the conflicting emotions in his eyes, those bright brown globes that were always missing this last layer to keep them guarded and protected.

“Harry he’s- he’s just a boy with a golden heart horribly mislead.” Growing up isolated Evie had found the first flecks of kindness in the small boy who was willing to visit a lonely girl even though she hadn’t been able to know what it was. Coming back to the isle and seeing him so bitter and lost hurt.

“He deserves this chance more than anyone I know.” She heaved a sigh knowing that he shouldn’t have to suffer from her incapability to face her own problems head on. “You know, Evie, you are truly kinder than you think. I’ve met Harry and a part of me is really afraid of seeing him again-“ Ben broke the eye contact spreading himself out over the couch as if he was reaching  for the flames to soak in its warmth. His eyes shut as the young king began to relax although his voice kept on droning: “Auradon is safe though. Nothing could happen here. If you need any help, E. Just tell me. I’ll do anything.” The exhaustion taking over Ben was obvious although he seemed cosy enough to kick back for once and just relax. The following silence was easy and light even though Evie was too dazed by his words to answer.

It wasn’t until Ben’s breath had evened out that Evie had processed everything. _Kinder than you think_ \- as she hovered over Ben’s childlike innocently sleeping figure, fingers tracing over his cheekbones with a feathery touch the blue haired girl couldn’t help but shake her head: “I’m not. I really am worse than anyone expects.”

Throwing a blanket over Ben she shut the fire place down leaving the room in almost pitch black darkness. Only the last pieces of woods still glimmering in the shadows glowed in a bright orange. “Sleep well, Ben.” Her words echoed of the stone walls as her feet took her out of the room hoping not to meet Mal in their dorm.


	10. Something unpleasant

As the sun peeked through the mosaic window it broke into colourful beams that stirred Ben awake. Soon the young king was turning and frowning in his now not so peaceful sleep until he opened his eyes blearily albeit still slightly dizzy and confused about his whereabouts. His neck was sore and his back ached from being curled up on the too small couch and yet- he hadn’t felt this refreshed in a long time. As he rubbed over his eyes with his palm, memories of the previous night rose to his mind settling comfortably. He didn’t think he had ever quiet talked this way to Evie quiet like that before. There always had seemed to be some invisible barrier in between them that stopped them from going too deep with their talks. Like something was holding them back from becoming too close. Yesterday however- it hadn’t been there as if the dark shadows of the night allowed them to stash away any revealed secret carefully.

He could have bitten himself knowing he should have pushed a little further initially when he had realised her discomfort concerning the son of Captain Hook. He should have asked her what was wrong and demanded an answer. Now there was nothing he could do about it anymore. Now she was stuck with a maniac of an ex becoming a new constant in her life. His shoulders slumping he tried to shake the thought of knowing it was no use as there was nothing to be done about it now. For now Ben could only keep an eye on her as things would progress to keep her safe. Perhaps this way he could prevent a few things from troubling her too much.

Stretching his muscles he began to fold the blanket back into place a fond smile gracing his face. Yet- with him mind losing its sleep caused dizziness a growing anxiety settled in his gut knowing what his tasks for the day were. While most students were already aware of the second round of the transfer project starting that didn’t mean it let them be any less anxious. After all the last time it didn’t end up going quiet as smoothly as he had imagined it to.

Ben was aware that he would have to soothe the nerves of so many students especially the younger ones who hadn’t been there for the first time and had only heard horror stories exaggerated by their older siblings. This was certainly not going to be a walk in the sun, but he also knew that in the end it was only one of the many less cosy responsibilities he had taken on, when he had been crowned. These were his duties. All of those students and their well beings were now his responsibilities. And there was no getting rid of them.

Straightening his back he could hear his bones crack. He wasn’t quite as flexible anymore ever since he had to exchange most of his Tourney practise for long hours at his desk. He couldn’t quiet shake off the stiffness of his neck no matter how much he tried to. His fingers fiddled with the warm blanket thrown over his lap the corners of his mouth lifting a little further. Making a reminder to himself to thank Evie later for letting him get the rest he needed made him feel a little better about having kept her up talking for that long. She must have been just as exhausted as he had. Folding the blanket ben began to straighten out any wrinkles to make sure nothing seemed out of the ordinary before leaving the room. The door fell shut soundly and Ben let out a heavy sigh. Whatever the day would bring, it would certainly be less pleasant than the last evening had been and he couldn’t afford to hold onto the almost calm feeling it had left. It would only serve as a distraction and he had an important day to attend. If there was one thing he had learned in his short reign- it was that there was no place for comfort.

                                                                                      *

Most of the rest of the day went past in a relaxed blur, his paper stack surprisingly low. His body had learned how to do most of these tasks relying on muscle memory. He signed papers he had already prepared over the last days and began some that would take days to finish. The monotonous work gave him time to think thoroughly over what exactly he was planning on saying to the students. He wasn’t quite sure, whether he would ever be able to find the right words to explain the situation. He couldn’t take the worries of their minds; he wasn’t even able to take it off of his own mind. There was no way of easing them in considering how unpredictable all of these kids had been and would be. All of the time he had been granted that day only managed to remind him of these points leaving him with a restlessness he couldn’t ignore. He didn’t like to think about how he was putting all the students in danger, the thought twisting his gut and making bile rise up his throat. More than anything he was afraid of harming the people he was responsible for by making foolish decisions. Last time he had proven them wrong, but there was no certainty that it would happen again. Clammy fingers ran over his pants while his gaze kept flickering over the pre-written notes. He couldn’t mess this up today. Everything had to be perfect.

Tightening his tie he glanced into the huge mirror on his wall one last time finding what he had been hoping for; the poster image of a king, hair neatly pressed against his scalp, suit unwrinkled and spotless. It was a good thing that no one would be able to see his racing hearts pounding against his ribcage like it was planning on breaking it. All that was missing now was his crown, which he put on reluctantly. Sometimes he wondered whether he would ever not be surprised by the cold weight of it as it settled against his forehead.

At least he _looked_ ready now.

The soft knock on his door alerted his attention to Mal standing in the doorframe tamer than he had ever seen her before. “I think it’s time, Ben.” Her voice was cool and smooth as she spoke the soft curls falling around her face bouncing slightly along to her movements. For a moment Ben wasn’t sure just how well he had hidden the fact that he was partly surprised she had even showed up despite him asking her.

It felt wrong looking at her all dressed up read to follow him on stage when he knew that she wanted nothing to do with it, but he needed her there that day. Needed her to be the perfect image of what he wanted to happen. He needed her to show the students that there was indeed the possibility of rescuing these children that they were not like their parents, that with a little help they were just like them. He needed her as the future queen of Auradon.

“Okay-“His voice was quiet resting for his performance ahead. He wasn’t quiet able to tear his gaze away from the mirror until she stood next to him one hand resting on his shoulder: “Let’s go…” Taking their image in Ben could feel his gut drop to the ground. This was not them. His smile seemed too forced, her hair too tame. This was not them, but right now it was what they needed to be. “Okay…” He muttered again each breath he took feeling like ice running down his throat. Reaching his hand out to the girl next to him watching her gingerly take it and squeeze it reluctantly. There was something in her eyes as she glanced at him, light eyes so soft and familiar, that he couldn’t understand. Almost as if she was pitying him. For the first time, he felt that she might be right in doing so.

Ben halted in front of the still closed door already hearing the commotion of the students piled up inside. He felt Mal’s hand squeeze his own quickly causing him to look at her: “Don’t think too much about it. You can do that- it will be alright.” Her voice, although calm reminded him of a storm rising as it always did. Yet- what he usually found relaxing, the slight baritone in it, was not helping in the slightest to calm his nerves. Still, he was glad that she as trying and he tried to convey it through the soft smile and quick peck against her forehead. “It’s not like I have any choice now.” With that he pushed the door open his shoulders straightening immediately gaze straight ahead. With the wood in front of him yielding a wave of noise hit his ears deafening to his already oversensitive senses. It took all he had not to turn around immediately and storm off.

His presence put a sudden stop to all the quiet voices mingled together. It was something he would probably never get used to. Nowadays people quieted around him, their eyes drawn to him unashamedly following him around rooms until he left again and he could hear the voices rising. It was a painful experience, seeing the people you once deemed your friends lower their voices all fun and jokes making place for respect and authority. He had always known that after his coronation things would change, but he hadn’t expected it to be so sudden and drastic.   

His hands were clammy when he let go of Mal before stepping up to the podium. This was no task she could help him with, nor did he want her to. It was time to prove himself.

Slowly the young king let his eyes dart over the crowd trying to make out familiar faces. He could see Chad sitting broadly, chest puffed in the first row and hoped for his dear life that he would keep his mouth shut at least once in his life.

It took him some time to make out Evie, standing a few rows behind Jay and Carlos who were sitting perfectly still in their seats, although if Ben looked just hard enough he was pretty sure that he could see the taller boy scowl at him. He couldn’t understand why she had chosen to stay back this time. All of this was as much her work as his, if not even more. She deserved to be up there as well showing everyone how genuinely excited she was mostly about the project. Still he had to respect her wishes. Finding her gaze their eyes met and the small smirk she gave him, while meant to be reassuring hid a nervousness that mirrored his own.

This was their project. If it was to fail they were the ones to blame, but if they were to succeed, it would lay the foundation for so many more kids to escape the isle. It was a risk more than just worth to take.

Taking one last deep breath he raised his voice hoping to keep it as firm and stable as he wanted it to: “Students of Auradon Prep.” The greeting felt too formal, the faces in the crowd too close to his own age to make all of this seem anything but ridiculous from his view. He was just a kid like them- how was he supposed to rule them?

“I’ve asked you all to gather here today so I could make an announcement that will most likely change the way you have lived at this school up so far. This is not to say though that it will be a bad change. As you have already been informed a few weeks ago today will mark the beginning of the second round of my royal decree, meaning that this afternoon a new round of villain kids will be staying with us here in Auradon.” There was a pregnant pause that followed his words. His throat felt awfully dry and he had to force himself to continue: “Now I am sure this comes to you as no surprise. Ever since the beginning my plan had not been to only allow four children to live here. And escape their old life. Most of you will not be able to understand that, but life on the isle- it’s hell. It’s eating rotten food and bad education. It’s running and hiding all day long. It’s a place where love is so incredibly rare it can barely be seen. And these kids- they do not deserve this. It is vital for you all to understand that these children, suffering on the isle are not their parents. My father, 20 years ago, was not able to predict the state we would now be in. At that time it was a just punishment for the villains who had been torturing our parent’s life for decades, but now- now the ones truly suffering are all these innocent children who had been born onto the isle. Who have never had the chance to see anything else. Who have never had the choice to be good. We need to give them that chance.” He took a deep breath trying to ignore the slight pain in his back from standing up too straight. Ben could hear the noise rising again very slowly. Students were whispering to each other, the atmosphere clearly tenser than it had been moments ago.

“I know most of you look at my idea with hesitation and apprehension. I know most of you still do not believe in it, but I’d just like you to look at all that has happened. Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos- you have looked at all of them the same way. You were afraid and looking down on them expecting them to be just like their parents and now- most of you wear Evie’s creations, Jay is a vital part of the tourney team, Carlos has proven himself to be a small genius and Mal has shown you all just how important having a choice is. Please keep all of that in mind when I tell you that people are not born evil. You have all seen what can happen.

Now I’d like to present the new students of Auradon. They will arrive this afternoon and I hope you will all do your best to include them as quickly as possible. You never know, you might make great friends through this. The students coming over from the isle will be:

_Janina Ratcliff- Daughter of James Ratcliff_

_Dizzy Tremaine- Daughter of Drizella_

_Frank Facilier- Son of Dr. Facilier_

_Gil- Son of Gaston_

_Harry Hook- Son of Captain Hook_

_And Uma- Daughter of Ursula”._

He had prepared himself for the outrage that ran through the hall like a shock wave. Students sat stiff in their seats-horror displayed on their faces, others had jumped up their stools toppling back in surprise and some others had begun shouting in protest. Each of them was aware of what had happened last year at the cotillion. They all knew what Uma had done; most of them had even seen it themselves. Ben could understand their fear so very well, but they had to help them and leaving the sea three on the isle would only do harm. They all had to remember that all their mischief had only grown, because their country had abandoned them all these years. It was their fault as well, as much as everyone liked to ignore it.

“Please, settle down.” This time his words were not nearly enough to still the room. “Guys…” he tried again to no avail shoulders slouching forward. “Please…” As his eyes ran over the crowd he swallowed harshly seeing the commotion he had no control over. “Hey!” It was an unexpected yell that broke through the tumult bringing the hall to a motionless state all fuss dying down immediately heads turning to the owner. “Everybody sit down again and let the king talk.” Jay stood tall, unyielding nudging his chin at Ben’s direction with a glare. “No need to freak out like animals.” He kept standing until mostly everyone had settled back down before extending his arms in a small motion towards Ben: “Go on.”

“Now-“ clearing his throat he leaned back again staring straight ahead: “I understand your worries-“ “Hook kidnapped you last year-“ “I know, but-“ “Uma put a love spell on you!” “That’s not really the point.” “How are we supposed to trust these kids they are actually evil!” “Please!” it was like talking to a brick wall and he didn’t quite know where he found the energy to raise his voice against the insistent voices, but he was glad it was there.

 He could feel his throat closing with every word he spoke making it harder to breathe. “Each day I wake up and think about these children, the forgotten ones, the lost ones and I honestly can’t bear to do it much longer. We need to get these kids off of the isle.” His voice sounded almost pleadingly as he took another pause to compose himself once again. “And there is nothing I can do, but ask you, each of you to take a moment to imagine yourself in their shoes, because it could have been you so very easily. They are not evil! All of them were born on the isle of the lost like we have been born in Auradon. As innocent human beings. Look me in the eyes and tell me that if we had been put there, if we had grown up in slums, always having to run for our life, unable to trust anyone; look me in the eyes and tell me that we wouldn’t have ended up exactly the same. They are not evil. They just have never had a chance to be good.” He repeated himself. “And if we don’t do anything to help them, then we don’t deserve to call ourselves good.” The young king found himself coming to an end, chest slightly heaving cheeks red. “All I ask of you. Is to give them a real chance, because it would be what I would want if I were in their position.” Staring into their faces one last time he turned around pacing himself so it wouldn’t look like he was fleeing the stage. His fingers were trembling and shivers ran through his body as he arrived at his office closing the door behind him with a heavy breath. His head fell forward, forehead resting against the cool wooden door trying to catch his breath as he could feel the room around him spinning. He had not expected it to go _that_ bad.

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
